LOS ANGELES – Former Vice President Kamala Harris stepped back into the spotlight this week, touring the charred remains of Pacific Palisades after the devastating wildfires that ripped through Southern California earlier this month. In an interview with Fox LA’s Elex Michaelson on February 6, 2025, Harris was asked for her thoughts on the destruction—a chance to offer insight or solutions from a seasoned leader. Instead, CGN Network reports, she delivered a rambling, incoherent word salad fixated on one thing: she could smell the smoke. For a conservative audience that values straight talk and action, this performance was a head-scratcher—and a reminder of why America’s better off with Trump back in charge.
A Nose for Drama, Not Policy
Standing amid the ruins of a neighborhood not far from her own Brentwood home, Harris leaned hard into sensory overload. “It’s not only seeing it, Elex, you can smell it. You can feel it, right?” she began, her voice trailing into a disjointed mess. “So, it’s seeing it with our eyes… and many people have seen it – you all are covering it – but to literally be on the ground here, you can smell the smoke that was here. You can feel the toxicity, frankly, of the environment.” It was less a statement, more a stream-of-consciousness ode to the obvious—yes, wildfires leave smoke and ash. Tell us something we don’t know.
The Palisades Fire, ignited on January 7, torched over 23,000 acres, destroyed 6,000 structures, and claimed multiple lives, per local reports. With thousands displaced and billions in damages, Californians needed more than a weather report from their former VP. Yet, Harris doubled down, circling back to the “energy of all the folks who are still here on the ground,” as if vibes could rebuild homes or fund firefighting crews. Posts on X lit up with mockery: “Kamala’s out there sniffing the air like it’s a policy win,” one user jabbed. Another quipped, “She smells smoke—guess she’s finally noticed California’s a mess.”
Dodging the Real Questions
This wasn’t Harris’ first crack at the fire crisis. On January 14, at a White House briefing with President Biden, she urged patience in another tangled spiel: “It’s critically important that, to the extent you can find anything that gives you an ability to be patient in this extremely dangerous and unprecedented crisis, that you do.” Conservatives on X dubbed it “classic Kamala”—all words, no weight. Now, weeks later, with a chance to pivot to substance, she stuck to the script: smoke, feelings, and not much else.
What about forest management—a perennial conservative critique of California’s Democrat-led failures? Trump’s hammered Governor Gavin Newsom for years over it, blaming unchecked brush and poor policy for fueling these blazes. Harris, a proud Californian who once served as the state’s attorney general and senator, sidestepped that entirely. No mention of the $600 million in disaster relief she touted in 2022 under Biden’s infrastructure bill, or how it’s held up against this inferno. Instead, it’s all olfactory poetry—smelling the “toxicity” while offering zero on prevention or accountability.
CGN’s Take: We Deserve Better
For CGN Network’s pro-Trump audience, Harris’ smoke-sniffing act is a stark contrast to the decisive leadership we’ve got now. Trump’s due in LA Friday to tour the damage himself, and you can bet he’ll bring more than a nose for ash—he’ll call out the mismanagement and push solutions, not platitudes. Pete Hegseth’s kicking CNN out of the Pentagon showed this administration means business; Harris wandering around waxing lyrical about “energy” feels like a relic of the Biden era’s dithering.
Sure, Harris met first responders and handed out meals in Altadena on January 20, per the LA Times—noble optics. But when the mic’s on, she’s stuck in neutral, recycling the same sensory loop. The fires displaced 130,000, killed at least 25, and left Brentwood—her own turf—under evacuation orders, per Newsweek. This was her shot to lead, not just emote. Instead, we got a masterclass in saying nothing loud enough to smell it.
The Verdict
Harris’ defenders might argue she’s showing empathy, connecting with victims. Fair enough—wildfires are hell, and she’s got a right to feel it. But leadership isn’t about stating the obvious; it’s about fixing what’s broken. Trump’s base—and CGN—didn’t dodge a bullet in 2024 just to watch a former VP sniff the wind while California burns. Disney’s clinging to Rachel Zegler’s Snow White flop; Harris’ clinging to smoke. Both are missteps a sharp conservative eye can’t unsee. Step up or step aside, Kamala—America’s got no time for hot air.